Confidence — difficult to define, and even more difficult to recover once it is damaged.

Two football teams looking for a confidence boost will meet in Russellville on Saturday when the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (1-3) host the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers (0-4) for a non-conference contest at Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

Arkansas Tech has suffered three consecutive setbacks, but the Wonder Boys might have turned a corner in the second half of their 31-24 loss at nationally 12th-ranked Ouachita Baptist last Saturday. Tech outscored the Tigers 21-10 after halftime.

“I think the biggest thing is looking in the kids’ eyes,” Arkansas Tech head coach Steve Mullins said when asked how he measures his team’s confidence. “You watch how they carry themselves in practice, and you visit with them in the halls. I feel like our defense, as we go through practice this week, they are feeling a little more confident. We became more physical during the Ouachita Baptist game. I hope that, and the confidence we gained in the second half of the game, carries over.”

Northwestern Oklahoma State is in a transition period as it moves from NAIA to NCAA Division II. The Rangers were NAIA national football champions in 1999 and NAIA national runners-up in 2000 and 2003. Northwestern Oklahoma State is a prospective member of the Great American Conference, which means meetings between the Wonder Boys and the Rangers in future years will be conference games.

“This is the first opponent this season that we match up with from an age and experience standpoint,” Mullins said. “Offensively, it all centers around their quarterback Kyle Jech. He is going to scramble and make plays. He makes good decisions under pressure. You can tell he is a tough guy and a leader. He is the glue of their team from an offensive perspective.”

Jech has completed 61 percent of his passes this season, and he has only thrown one interception in 184 attempts. He is averaging 248 passing yards per game, third-most among quarterbacks at current or prospective GAC members.

ATU quarterback Tanner Marsh is just in front of Jech and ranked second in the GAC with a 255.8 passing yards per game average. He is second in the GAC and 19th in NCAA Division II in total offense (292.2 yards per game).

Saturday will mark the first meeting between the Wonder Boys and the Rangers since Sept. 17, 1994, when Tech earned a 31-10 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State in Russellville. Arkansas Tech holds a 6-3 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to 1956.

Party at the Plaza, the pre-game tailgating celebration outside the stadium will begin at 4 p.m. Game tickets will be available at the Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field ticket office. Those with a valid Arkansas Tech identification card will be admitted free.

Saturday’s game will be broadcast on radio station KWKK 100.9 FM and online at athletics.atu.edu.